Time For A Full-Body Check! It’s Melanoma Monday

That’s because May 5 is “Melanoma Monday” — the day doctors who treat skin cancer to raise awareness about the risk of developing the disease.

Dermatologist Steve Grekin, with Grekin Skin Institute, says doing a full-body home exam monthly can help you spot trouble early; and if you see anything suspicious, get to a dermatologist.

“We look in between their fingers, in between their toes, in their mouths, in their nose, in their ears. We look everywhere to make sure that we don’t see any irregular, multicolored spots,” Grekin told WWJ Health Reporter Sean Lee.

Grekin says the numbers for skin cancer have increased dramatically.

“The data’s quite clear that melanoma skin cancers — while we’re very good at detecting them Melanoma — have been on the rise for each of the last 20 years,” Grekin said. “They continue to be on the rise, and they’re the deadliest form of skin cancer.”